Western Red Backed Salamander
Every day I go for a nature walk and spend at least an hour just wandering in the mountains and forests of my “back yard” in B.C.
I didn’t even get out of my yard today when I spotted this guy.
It rained heavily last night and there is a huge puddle in my (very long – about a mile) driveway. I mean for this guy it is the equivalent of an ocean! LOL.
From 30 feet I saw movement in the puddle, ripples, like something was swimming. I thought it must be a worm, but got closer and found a salamander coming into the “shore”.
Of course, I had to pick him up and take a few pictures before putting him back where I found him.
When I picked him up he stayed very still, seemingly calm, but unfortunately he was probably petrified. I`m sure once he was certain I had gone, he went back to swimming.:)
Honestly, this made my day, I love spotting things like this. Makes those walks enjoyable!
From my googling research I believe it is a Western Red Backed Salamander.
I had a bunch of these guys in my yard last year and found their nest, with a clutch of eggs.
I`m not entirely sure they are the same type, this one doesn`t have the distinctive `V`over it`s face, and was quite a bit larger, probably double or more in bulk with a longer tail.
I would appreciate any knowledgeable folks helping me out on this one!
This guy was living under a log in my firewood pile, in the mud at the bottom. There were 2 adults and a large clutch of eggs.
Don`t worry, I always put them back where I find them.;)
